Here is a great article from kevinmd.com (one of my favorite blogs) about the hardship of being a family caregiver.  Yes, I know that this doesn’t necessarily fit on the website of a company that provides in-home care for elderly clients, but the advice is just too good not to share.  We know that our service isn’t for everyone, and if this information helps those who are able to care for their parents or spouse at home, then we’ve done something good.

Pay special attention to number six, “DO NOT neglect your own health”.  This is a huge deal.  If you are caring for mom, dad, your spouse or a sibling, the last thing you need is for the caregiver to get into a situation where they need a caregiver of their own.  This happens a lot!  Being a caregiver is hard.  (If you don’t believe me, read numbers 1-5 in this article.  It can be all consuming, and there are times where you can’t do it all yourself.  When you get into this situation, it is very easy for you to start skipping your doctors appointments, skipping sleep, skipping meals, and skipping those things that are stress relievers in your life.  You do that and you are skipping towards a real crisis.  Who will take care of mom if you are in the hospital?  (I guess this article does fit on an in-home care website after all.)

Seriously, this article has great advice.  I’ve met a lot of people who didn’t take the advice and ended up in a situation that was much worse than it had to be.